Ca does not need an interview but there is a lot of waste to reduce

The Ministry of Government of Elon Musk, a known transcript such as Dog, Started under President Trump in January And since then he has sent shock waves through Washington and the rest of the country. Like a former California DataI watched this experiment with a combination of alarm and reluctant admiration.

Doge methods – one -sided capacity, reckless access to data and neglect of a cavalier to legal boundaries – are a master class in what should not be done. Yet its main goal, reducing the wasteful costs and forcing the accountability of inflated bureaucracy, is a goal that no serious leader can ignore.

California, with him $ 322 billion budget and Perennial fiscal crisesDesperately needs such reading. Every candidate for governor in 2026 must accept this challenge – not with Musk’s shager, but with a scalpel managed by data and transparency.

Dog’s invention was a circus. Excluding entire agencies such as USAID overnight, seizure of cash register, which carry sensitive taxpayers and possession of AI to reduce budgets without congress supervision is not reform but chaos. Lawsuits The unions and countries emphasize the legitimate Quicksand Musk has entered.

California cannot afford such recklessness. Our country’s challenges as Wildfire recovery, housing shortages and Medi-Cal extensionSearch precision, not trauma to the blunt power of the billionaire.

But let’s not self -confident: the California government has waste. As a public officer, I saw firsthand how departmental silos darken the costs, how outdated systems hide ineffectiveness, and how the budget fraud, so huge that it denies understanding. Thehe Legislative analyzer Routinely marks billions in dubious distributions, but we rarely see the following.

The DOG’s goal to save taxpayers resonates here, where taxes are also raised and a deficiency of Stan. The idea of ​​auditing from the top to the bottom of each department is not radical-it is short.

What California needs is a more intelligent play book. We can look at Maryland, where the then government. Martin O’Mali Statestat implemented Nearly two decades ago (now called Service to improve efficiency) or Washington with Washington results -The two systems managed by data that track the effectiveness of agencies in real time. From the percentage of crime to the delay in infrastructure, these platforms create accountability, reduce costs and provide results without burning the house.

California can build its own version: Government management dashboard, which exposes costs, results and inefficiency to see everyone. Pair this with full audit – independent, strict and public – and we will have a plan for eradicating waste and fraud without theater theater.

Thehe 2026 Governor Race is the time to ask for this. Applicants cannot just quarrel around the edges with promises of good feeling. Our budget is not just giant – it’s a maze. Self Medi-Cal, at $ 161 billion a yearAsks for control. Do we pay suppliers? Are funds to drain funds duplicate? How about the California Department of Transport, where highways design balloons past terms and budgets?

Statestat, supported by audit, can answer these questions and potentially save billions of dollars that we could redirect to schools, housing or tax relief.

Critics will cry that this is strictly concealed. Not so. Efficiency is not related to the reduction of services – but to ensure every dollar delivers. When I was running the data strategy in California, we have discovered abbreviations that could fund entire programs if redirected. Fraud too, Isn’t it a crime without a victim; He siphon resources from vulnerable.

Any governor who suffers this battle is complicit in the status quo.

In addition, it may be a warning tale, but its ambition must wake us up. The next governor in California must have data, not titles to tame our extending government. A complete audit, a system similar to Statestat and a ruthless waste hunting are not mandatory, they are the price of leadership in a country extending to its borders. Voters should not put up with anything less.